Colorado Birding

Trail Ridge Road (Grand County section) - Grand County
Aliases: Lulu City Trailhead, Milner Pass
Ownership: None Listed
Description: The area between the Grand Lake entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park and the Lulu City Trailhead provides access to lodgepole forest and some extensive willow habitats. This is one of the best places in Colorado to see Moose.

The several scenic overlooks below Milner Pass on Trail Ridge Road (US 34) can be relied upon to produce Steller's Jay, Gray Jay and Clark's Nutcracker, all of which hang around to beg handouts from tourists.

Milner Pass itself, though on the Continental Divide, is well below treeline and far lower than the section of Trail Ridge Road just east of it in Larimer County. Spruce-fir habitat can be accessed up some of the trails. The trail to the Crater, on the north side of the road, gets you to treeline quite fast (within half a mile), but it is closed from May through July when the Bighorn Sheep are calving. I have never seen ptarmigan around the Crater in six or eight trips. But American Pipit is easy and the views are unbelievable.

Habitat: Lodgepole Forest; Spruce-Fir Forest; Alpine Tundra
Elevation:
Directions: These sites are along Trail Ridge Road (US 34) inside Rocky Mountain National Park. The national park charges an entrance fee, and the upper parts of Trail Ridge Road are closed from fall (October or November) to spring (usually late May).
Restrictions/Hazards:
Other Wildlife:
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